This Artist Was Obsessed With His Future, So He Lived Out Various Dark Fates That Might Await Him

On a bench in a leafy park, a nurse stares distractedly at her phone while an old man sits listlessly in a wheelchair beside her. Meanwhile, an ageing drunk stumbles through the rain, his thin gray hair sticking to his sallow skin. These are just some of the fates of Phillip Toledano, the man who makes a habit of imagining the worst.

Of course, it’s not uncommon to think about ageing and death. In fact, as the world’s population grows older, the fear about what we can expect in our twilight years is perhaps more prevalent than ever before. But while we are able to take steps such as saving for our retirement and looking after our health, how much can we really prepare for what awaits us down the line?

Born in London towards the end of the Swinging Sixties, Toledano is of French, Moroccan and American heritage. Growing up, he watched his artist father draw and paint, attending his shows and developing a passion for the arts. Then, at the age of just ten, he asked his parents for his first camera.